Chapter 19 Betrayal
Chapter 19
Betrayed
Jada's POV
I knew that Olivia would crack; anyone would if they were locked inside the walls of stone and watched like a fragile thing waiting to be delivered to an altar. When I went to visit her that evening, the guards barely looked at me. They still trusted me because I was her best friend, the harmless one, the one who cried and laughed with her, who shared secrets, dresses and dreams. I had to take advantage of that.
Olivia was sitting on her bed at the time of my entry. Her knees were drawn up close to her chest; her hair hung loose and dull, and her tired eyes made something tight move in my stomach. It wasn't guilt and it wasn't regret, it was pressure. I did promise Alpha Max some information, and information always comes at a cost.
"Jada," she said, forcing a smile. "You came."
"Of course I did," I said as I sat next to her and took her hands. "You're looking like you're being buried alive in here."
She let out a weak laugh. "That’s exactly how it feels."
I looked around the room at the locked windows and the guards outside the door. "They’ve gone too far," I said. "You’re not a criminal."
"I feel like one," she replied. They won't even allow me to take a walk outside. Tristan treats me like a possession."
I squeezed her hands harder. "You can't keep on living like this."
She looked at me, with hope rising too easily in her eyes. "What do you mean?"
I wavered for a moment long enough to make it real. "There’s a way out. Just for tonight. Just to breathe."
Her body stiffened. "They'll kill me if they find out."
"They won’t," I said. "The guards switch at midnight. There's a blind-spot, which is located near the old storage path. We used it all the time when we used to be younger.
She shook her head. "That was years ago."
"I checked," I lied. "Nothing’s changed."
Olivia stood and started walking around. "I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t."
"You need air," I said. "You need to feel like yourself again." Just one walk. I’ll be with you the whole time."
She stopped in front of me. "You promise?"
I smiled. "I always protect you."
That part was true in my own way.
We waited until it got quiet in the pack house, until the change of guards, the sound of footsteps. I guided her down this corridor I knew from memory, down the narrow stairs, through this wing where the storage is, full of dust and old wood smell. My heart beat fast but not out of fear, but out of timing. Alpha Max would be waiting from beyond the tree line. He had said he only wanted to talk, to see her, understand the bond himself.
That was what he told me.
When we went outside the night air closed in, cool and open to cold. Olivia drew a deep breath; her shoulders drowned for the first time in days.
"I missed this," she whispered.
"I know," I said softly.
We walked further through the lanterns, down to the dark edge of the land. I felt her slow down.
"Jada," she said and lowered her voice. "This is too far."
"It's fine," I replied. "Just a little more."
Then the shadows moved.
Three figures came forward, and blocked the passage. Olivia froze beside me. Her hand tightened around my arm.
"Who's there?" she asked.
Alpha Max emerged last, tall and calm, with eyes sharp as they set on her. He smiled, slow and pleased.
"Easy," he said. "I’m not here to hurt you."
Olivia looked to me, and confusion was spreading across her face.
"Jada?"
I swallowed. "Just listen to him."
Her grip loosened.
"Why does he know my name?"
Max took a step closer.
"Because you matter. Because you deserve better than cages and a forced marriage."
She backed away.
"You set this up."
"No," I said quickly. "I have brought you here so he could help."
"Help me how?" she demanded.
"By protecting you," Max said in reply. "From Tristan. From your father. From a war that will use you as a bargaining chip."
Her voice shook.
"You're a rogue. You kill packs."
He shook his head.
With one of them, "I save wolves that are willing to see the truth."
Olivia faced me completely now, with a pale face.
"You lied to me."
"I didn’t lie," I said. "I just didn't tell you all about it."
"That's the same thing," she answered.
One of Max’s men moved closer. Olivia flinched.
"Stay back," she warned.
Max raised a hand.
"No one touches her. Not unless she asks."
She laughed, sharp and broken.
"This is insane. Jada, I trusted you."
I felt something crack then, not enough stopping me but enough stinging.
"I'm trying to save you," I said. "You are in love with a lycan prince. They’ll destroy you for that."
"I will choose my own destruction," she said. "Not yours."
She stepped away from me her eyes filled with a hurt I have never seen before.
"Get me out of here."
"I can’t," I said quietly.
Her face hardened.
"You're terrible." she said with a voice that was filled with hurt as her eyes watered.
Her lips shook as she looked at me with nothing but disgust. I felt my heart break see her that way. I was my best friend for years and I was like a sister to her. I was the only one she ever trusted, so I understood her pain but I had no choice. There was no going back now.
Years ago, I was an orphan who never knew her parents. I had always been alone all my life. No siblings, no family. Just me. I was wandering alone in the woods one sunny afternoon, hoping to get some fruits to survive on for the day when a bear attacked me. I was too weak to fight back but fortunately, Alpha Max saved my life and took me to his place and raised me like his own sister. I had sworn my loyalty to him since then, I willingly went on missions for him. He was all I got. When I turned fifteen, I sent to Olivia's pack to befriend her and gain her trust. It was one of the missions given to me by Max. I finally carried it out.
"I'm sorry." I whispered with guilt written all over my face.